Gov. Reynolds issues statement after meeting with EPA administrator

Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a statement Tuesday morning after meeting with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt and attending a roundtable discussion about the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule with the administrator, other elected officials and Iowa farmers.

“I want to thank Administrator Pruitt for traveling to Iowa to hear directly from our farmers about how the WOTUS rule will affect them and how we can work together to get the next version of this rule right.

“This administration continues to show a willingness to partner with states, and for that, I am incredibly thankful.

“I would also like to thank the administrator for the positive steps already shown by the administration in rescinding the federally invasive WOTUS rule.

“Administrator Pruitt’s commitment to listening to states while drafting the new rule shows a true commitment to a balanced state-federal partnership.

“The 2015 WOTUS rule released during the Obama administration was a massive federal land grab, creating confusing and uncertainty for regulators, farmers, ranchers and others who depend on their ability to work the land.

“As the administration considers the rewrite of WOTUS, we would encourage them to take the ‘Scalia approach’ and significantly scale back the amount of federal overreach seen in the first rule.

“The federal government needs to continue working with state and local leaders to make sure we get the rule right this time around. I commend President Trump and his administration for proactively taking steps to do that.”